CONGREGATIONAL 
MISSIONARY  WORK 
IN  PORTO  RICO 


CONGREGATIONAL 
MISSIONARY  WORK 
IN  PORTO  RICO 

Conducted  by  the 

AMERICAN  MISSIONARY  ASSOCIATION 


By 


HARLAN  PAUL  DOUGLASS 


Corresponding  Secretary 


New  York 

AMERICAN  MISSIONARY  ASSOCIATION 
287  Fourth  Avenue 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Introduction 5 

I.  Congregational  Porto  Rico 7-18 

1.  — Within  the  Fellowship  of  Protestant  Agencies 7 

Protestant  Comity,  p.  7;  Open  Territory,  p.  7. 

2.  — Our  Exclusive  Province 8 


General  Features,  p.  8 ; Influence  of  Natural 
Boundaries,  p.  8 ; Economic  Aspects,  p.  9 ; 
Transportation,  p.  ii  ; Side-light  on  Character  of 
People,  12  ; Towns  and  Cities,  p.  13  ; Streets  and 
Houses,  p.  15 ; The  Plaza,  p.  15  ; The  Poorer 
Quarters,  p.  16;  Occupations,  p.  17;  Rural  Life, 
p.  18. 

II.  The  Call  for  Protestant  Missions 19-25 

Institutional  Failure  of  Catholicism,  p.  19;  Virtual 
Paganism,  p.  21  ; Not  Needed  for  Common  School 
Work,  p.  22  : Prejudice  Against  Vocational  Training, 
p.  22  ; Place  of  Medical  Missions,  p.  24 ; Summary, 


P-  25- 

III.  Congregational  Missionary  Agencies 26-40 

I. — Educational 26 


Blanche  Kellogg  Institute,  p.  26  ; Buildings  and 
Equipment,  p.  27  ; Pupils,  p.  27  ; Two  Schools  in 
One,  p.  29  ; Four-fold  Service  ; a.-Social  Exten- 
sion Work,  p.  29  ; b.-Influence  on  Future  Leaders, 
p.  31  ; c.-Training  of  Christian  Workers,  p.  31  ; 
d.-Religious  Center  for  Americans,  p.  32. 

2. — Church  and  Evangelistic  Work 33 

Organizations  and  Missionaries,  p.  33  ; Chief 
Centers,  p.  34  ; The  Era  of  Building,  p.  34  ; Num- 


PAGE 


erical  Results,  p.  37  ; Classes  Reached,  p.  38  ; 
Rise  of  New  Social  Class,  p.  38  ; Native  Evan- 
gelists, p.  38  ; Need  of  Trained  Workers,  p.  39  ; 
Proposed  Inter-denominational  School,  p.  40. 


3. — Beginnings  of  Medical  Missions 40 

IV.  Missionary  E.xperiences 42-58 

I. — Attitude  towavd  Catholicism 42 


American  Catholicism  no  Analogy,  p.  42  ; Few 
Signs  of  Promise,  p.  43 ; How  one  Missionary 
“ Fought  the  Catholics,”  p.  44. 

2. — Pictures  of  the  Missionary’s  Day's  Work 46 

A Difficult  Field,  p.  47  ; A Priest  of  Another  Type, 
p.  49  ; Doing  the  Work  of  an  Evangelist,  p.  49  ; 

A Bit  of  Christian  Wit,  p.  51  ; Typical  Monthly 
Report,  p.  52  ; A Plucky  Lady  Missionary,  p.  54  ; 
The  Satisfactions  of  Service,  p.  56 ; Impressions  of 
a Visitor,  p.  58. 

Appendi.x  : Summary  of  Evangelistic  Work 60 


Congregational  Porto  Rico. 


INTRODUCTION. 


This  little  book  selects  from  the  widespread  fields 
of  the  American  Missionary  Association  the  latest 
and  least  corner ; latest  in  occupancy  and  furnishing 
the  brief  annals  of  scarce  a missionary  decade,  least, 
in  the  area  covered  and  unhappily  still  more  so  in 
the  number  of  workers  engaged,  and  tbe  pittance 
of  money  available  for  their  support. 

“Give  a portion  to  seven,  yea,  even  to  eight.” 
The  Association  was  already  ministering  to  seven 
belated  and  handicapped  groups  of  Americans, 
chiefly  “off-colored  folks,”  but  when  Porto  Rico 
crept  in  under  the  shelter  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
the  scanty  supply  of  mission  resources  was  gladly 
shared  with  the  new  comer. 

In  its  occupancy  of  Porto  Rico,  the  Association 
confronts  for  the  first  time  in  Home  Missionary 
experience,  four  problems : 

First:  Plow  to  establish  an  American  Christian 
civilization  out  of  Latin  materials,  with  men  of 
Spanish  blood  and  heritage. 

Second:  How  to  establish  an  evangelical  type  of 
faith  in  a land  ruled  for  four  centuries  by  a decrepit 
and  incredibly  bigoted  form  of  Roman  Catholicism. 

Third:  How  to  establish  a free  and  democratic 
church  in  a society  essentially  without  a middle 
class. 

Fourth:  How  to  furnish  staunch  and  inspiring 
leadership  in  a land  historically  lacking  in  great 
personalities. 


6 


The  pages  which  follow  do  not  seek  to  discuss 
these  problems  in  formal  terms,  but  they  should  be 
kept  in  mind  throughout  the  reading  of  these  con- 
crete illustrations  of  Protestant  work  in  Congrega- 
tional Porto  Rico.  They  attempt  to  tell  the  story 
of  the  evangelical  leaven  bravely  working  upon  the 
stubborn  and  resistant  temper  and  institutions  of 
Porto  Rico. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  booklet  two  classes  of 
readers  were  in  mind ; first,  those  enlisted  in  mis- 
sion study  classes,  and  using  as  a text  this  year  Dr. 
Howard  Gross’s  book,  “Progress  in  the  Antilles,”  as 
issued  by  the  Young  People’s  Missionary  Movement 
and  the  Women’s  Home  Missions  Council,  but  de- 
siring more  specific  information  concerning  the 
work  of  their  own  Congregational  denomination. 

Second:  It  has  been  thought  that  there  may  be 
those  without  access  to  the  larger  work  who  might 
read  a modestly  comprehensive  booklet.  Conse- 
quently the  discussion  traverses  some  of  the  same 
general  ground  which  Dr.  Gross  covers,  though  the 
descriptive  matter  is  limited  to  Congregational  ter- 
ritory and  work. 

Perhaps  these  brief  pages  may  help  some  one  to 
understand  what  the  spirit  of  American  and  Chris- 
tian brotherhood  would  have  us  do  unto  these  last 
and  least  of  our  brethren. 


I.— CONGREGATIONAL  PORTO  RICO. 

1. — Within  the  Fellowship  of  Protestant  Agencies. 

When,  in  1899,  the  Island  of  Porto  Rico  came 
suddenly  under  the  American  flag  as  a result  of  the 
Spanish  War,  a population  of  about  a million  souls 
was  added  to  the  nation.  This  population  was 
crowded  into  a mountainous  island  of  3,550  square 
miles,  in  dimensions  some  thirty-five  by  one  hundred 
miles,  or  about  as  long  and  twice  as  wide  as  Long 
Island.  Protestant  mission  work  for  the  Porto 
Ricans  began  almost  immediately  on  the  part  of  all 
the  leading  denominations,  and  the  American  Mis- 
sionary Association  was  in  the  field  among  the  first, 
with  an  evangelist  and  eight  teachers. 

From  the  beginning,  the  Protes- 
Proteatant  Comity  tant  forces  acted  in  comity.  The 
Island  was  divided  between 
them  into  districts,  so  that  the  work  might  be  done 
thoroughly  and  economically,  without  sectarian 
rivalry  or  overlapping.  This  cooperative  action  and 
the  splendid  impression  of  Protestant  unity  which 
it  has  made,  is  one  of  the  weightiest  elements  in  the 
remarkable  progress  of  but  little  more  than  a 
decade. 

The  chief  cities,  especially  San 
Open  Territory  Juan  and  Ponce,  which  promised 
to  have  a considerable  American 
population,  were  left  open  for  all  the  churches  to 
occupy  as  they  found  opportunity ; but  even  here 
there  has  been  a general  understanding  as  to  the 
division  of  the  work,  one  denomination  emphasizing 
religious  activities,  another  educational  and  another 


medical  missions,  and  all  the  forces  co6])erating 
heartily  with  one  another. 

2.  Our  Exclusive  Province. 

The  district  exclusively  as- 
General  Features  of  signed  to  the  Congregational 
Province  of  Humacao  Cliurches  for  mission  over- 
sight was  roughly  identical 
with  the  old  Spanish  Province  of  Humacao  at  the 
extreme  eastern  end  of  the  Island  and  embracing 
a population  of  some  90,000.  On  three  sides  is 
the  ocean.  The  western  boundary  consists  of 
mountain  ranges  crossing  the  Island,  parallel  to 
its  eastern  coast  and  following  with  remarkable  reg- 
ularity its  windings,  and  including  the  highest  moun- 
tain of  Porto  Rico  called  El  Yunque,  or  the  Anvil. 
The  peaks  of  this  group  rise  to  a height  of  some 
2,500  feet,  and  they  have  been  set  apart  recently  as  a 
government  forest  reserve.  W'ithin  and  east  of  this 
mountain  barrier  is  a territory  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
miles  wide.  Numerous  small  streams  rise  in  tbe 
mountains  and  make  their  way  across  its  narrow 
fertile  plains  to  the  ocean.  They  are  easily  forded 
under  ordinary  conditions,  but  may  sometimes  rise 
without  warning  to  torrential  fury  after  a thunder 
shower  back  in  the  mountains.  Treacherous  bars 
are  formed  at  their  mouths.  The  early  journeyings 
of  the  missionaries  reported  many  a narrow  escape 
from  freshets  and  quicksand,  but  bridges  are  now 
rapidly  being  built  on  all  the  main  roads. 

The  political  boundaries  of  the 
Influence  of  Province  of  Humacao  do  not, 
Natural  Boundaries  however,  absolutely  conform  to 
its  natural  boundaries.  Our 


9 


missionary  operations  have  naturally  followed  the 
latter  and  have  reached  through  a pass  in  the  moun- 
tains over  an  excellent  road  to  the  west,  so  as  to 
include  the  town  of  Juncos  and  neighboring  villages. 
This  brings  us  up  against  the  Baptist  territory  along 
the  famous  military  road ; while  on  the  south  we 
have  stopped  at  the  mountains  below  Yabucoa  and 
our  Methodist  brethren  have  come  over  to  help  us 
in  this  part  of  the  Humacao  district  which  lies  be- 
yond them. 

The  chief  economic  product  of 
Economic  Aspects  the  entire  district  is  sugar  cane, 

which  luxuriates  on  the  heavy 
black  soil  of  the  valleys  and  coastal  plain,  and  fol- 
lows well  up  on  to  the  shoulders  of  the  lower  hills. 
Since  the  American  occupation  the  sugar  industry 
has  been  consolidated  and  has  come  into  the  hands 
of  a few  great  corporations,  controlling  thousands 
of  men  and  of  acres,  and  investing  millions  of 
money.  The  Fajardo  “Central,”  (or  factory)  and  the 
San  Sebastian  “Central”  near  Naguabo,  are  among 
the  largest  and  most  modernly  equipped  on  the 
Island.  Besides  the  land  directly  controlled  by  these 
great  companies,  hundreds  of  small  cane  growers 
in  the  more  inaccessible  valleys  are  dependent  upon 
them.  Great  lumbering  carts,  groaning  under  their 
load  of  sugar  cane  and  drawn  by  patient  oxen  on 
their  way  to  the  factory,  are  among  the  typical  way- 
side  sights  of  the  district.  The  companies  them- 
selves lay  parallel  lines  of  light  track  through  their 
immense  fields  and  load  the  cane  directly  on  small 
cars  which  are  drawn  by  miniature  steam  loco- 
motives to  the  “Central.” 


Plaza  and  Catholic  Church,  Fajardo. 


Growing  Tobacco  Under  Cheese  Cloth. 


The  administrative  and  clerical  work  of  one  of 
these  great  companies  brings  fifty  or  seventy-five 
Americans  to  its  community  for  the  grinding  season 
which  lasts  eight  or  nine  months  of  each  year.  The 
majority  of  the  sugar  workers,  however,  are  Porto 
Rican  peons  of  the  poorest  and  most  ignorant  type. 
Wages  are  much  better  than  before  the  American 
occupation  and  the  extremely  simple  conditions  of 
life  make  poverty  less  miserable  than  in  northern 
climates.  Yet  at  best  their  economic,  sanitary  and 
moral  conditions  are  poor  enough.  Around  J uncos, 
where  our  missionary  field  reaches  through  the 
mountains  to  the  westward,  it  includes  a minor 
portion  of  the  great  tobacco  region  at  the  center  of 
the  Island.  Stretching  along  these  high  valleys  for 
twenty  or  thirty  miles  are  nearly  continuous  fields 
of  tobacco,  grown  under  cheesecloth  to  protect  it 
from  the  intense  sun.  Seen  from  the  mountain 
tops  this  wide  carpeted  valley,  dotted  with  the 
thatched  drying  sheds,  presents  a most  curious  and 
beautiful  sight.  The  coffee  industry,  unlike  the 
sugar  and  tobacco,  has  not  been  centralized  in  Porto 
Rico.  Coffee  grows,  however,  everywhere  in  the 
mountains  and  almost  every  house  has  its  little 
coffee  patch  in  the  nearby  thicket.  Immense  cocoa- 
nut  groves  have  been  developed  at  points  along  the 
coast,  while  at  the  extreme  northwest  of  the  district 
begins  the  region  of  the  pineapple  and  other  fruit 
industries  which  have  sprung  up  chiefly  since  the 
American  occupation. 

No  railroad  touches  the  district  ex- 
Tramportation  cept  that  soiiie  of  the  sugar  com- 
panies maintain  an  irregular,  semi- 


12 


public  service  on  the  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  of  road 
which  connects  various  tracts  of  their  great  hold- 
ings. Excellent  macadamized  roads,  however,  con- 
nect all  towns,  and  others  are  under  construction. 
Indeed,  the  quality  of  the  Porto  Rican  roads  (where 
they  exist)  compares  more  than  favorably  with  the 
average  in  the  States.  The  Porto  Rican  traveller 
usually  rides  horseback.  Instead  of  a saddle  he 
uses  their  characteristic  basetta  or  pad,  with  wicker 
basket  hanging  on  either  side.  The  basetta  has  no 
stirrups,  and  the  rider  thrusts  his  feet  out  awkward- 
ly in  front  of  the  baskets.  For  the  transportation 
of  produce  these  baskets  are  swollen  to  enormous 
size,  and,  with  their  load,  almost  hide  the  little  beast 
which  staggers  between  them.  The  gentleman  will 
ride  an  ordinary  American  saddle  or  drive  a coache, 
a sort  of  crude  surrey,  wdiose  clumsy  brake  is 
screwed  up  by  a crank  like  a carpenter’s  vise.  The 
horses  are  driven  between  relay  points  at  a constant 
gallop.  They  excite  sympathy  by  their  almost  in- 
variably poor  condition.  In  spite  of  their  great 
endurance,  to  see  one  driven  to  death  on  the  high- 
road is  an  almost  daily  commonplace  of  Porto  Rican 
travel.  The  little  Porto  Rican  horse  has,  however, 
splendid  qualities,  and  the  Department  of  Agri- 
culture is  beginning  to  improve  the  type  by  the  in- 
troduction of  Kentucky  blood. 

One  who  goes  to  P’orto  Rico  anticipating  sights 
of  gorgeous  tropical  birds  and  strange  animals  will 
be  disappointed ; for  bird  and 
Side-light  on  animal  life  has  been  well-nigh 

Character  of  People  exterminated  from  the  Island 
by  the  density  and  cruelty  of 


13 

the  population.  It  was  surely  a wise  man  who 
observed,  “Cannibals  are  undoubtedly  very  wicked 
people,  but  presumably  also  very  hungry.”  It  is 
quite  possible  that  the  poor  Porto  Rican  who  kills 
the  beautiful  song-birds  for  food  is  more  excusable 
than  the  American  lady  who  has  them  killed  for 
decoration.  Yet  the  universal  callousness  of  the 
Porto  Rican  to  the  suffering  of  animals  is  one  of  the 
impressions  most  strongly  and  frequently  forced 
upon  the  American  visitor,  and,  sad  to  say,  the  same 
callousness,  born  partly  of  misery  and  partly  per- 
chance ;of  the  seemingly  innate  cruelty  of  the  Latin 
temper/,  extends  to  little  children,  to  the  poor,  to 
the  age;d  and  to  women.  One  who  has  seen  even  a 
glimpse  of  it  is  at  once  clear  that  the  primary  busi- 
ness ot'  the  missionary  in  Porto  Rico  is  not  theo- 
logicak  It  is  not  to  teach  the  people  a different 
system  of  religious  truth  hut  to  try  to  substitute  a 
new  tenderness  toward  all  living  creatures,  a new 
sympathy  for  suffering  and  a new  reverence  for 
humanity.  How  much  that  little,  smiling  Island 
needs  Jonah’s  lesson  of  mercy,  “wherein  are  more 
than  six  score  persons  that  cannot  discern  between 
their  ^right  hand  and  their  left,  and  also  niitcli 
cattle/’ 

Of  the  people  of  our  Congregational  parish,  thirty 
or  forty  thousand  are  gathered  into  towns  and  vil- 
lages, of  which  the  largest  is  Humacao,  the  city 
from  which  the  old  Province  took  its  name,  with  a 
population  of  some  7,000.  Fajardo, 
Towns  ixnd-Cities  Naguabo,  Yabucoa  and  Juncos 
have  populations  of  from  3,000  to 
5,000  e;  ich.  These,  curiously,  are  all  situated  inland 


Main  Street,  Yabucoa. 


Street  in  Poorer  Quarter,  Yabucoa. 


15 


three  or  four  miles  from  the  sea  and  usually  upon  a 
stream.  The  reason  for  this  inland  location  is  saitl 
to  have  been  fear  of  pirates,  who  so  long  infested 
the  Spanish  Main.  Each  town  has  to  have,  there- 
fore, a “Playa”  or  port,  usually  a village  of  300  or 
■WO  people,  chiefly  employed  in  carting  produce 
from  the  towns  to  the  docks  and  in  loading  them 
on  vessels.  Harbors  are  usually  shallow  and 
lighters  are  necessary  to  transport  the  goods  to 
ocean-going  ships,  which  have  to  anchor  a mile  or 

two  out.  average  Porto  Rican  town 

Streets  and  Houses  consists  of  a collection  of  insig- 
nificant, one  story  houses,  lining 
narrow  and  ordinarily  unpaved  streets,  though  in 
recent  years,  the  one  or  two  main  thoroughfares 
may  have  possibly  been  macadamized.  There  are 
no  continuous  sidewalks  and  few  public  utilities. 
Electric  lights  have  generally  been  introduced  but 
few'  of  the  towns  have  public  water  supplies  and 
none,  as  yet,  sewerage  systems.  So  far  as  mere 
shelter  goes,  the  flimsy,  unplastered  houses  are  suf- 
ficient; but  the  problems  of  sanitation  and  of  civic 
well-being  are  almost  untouched  in  these  repre- 
sentative towns  and  cities.  It  is  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  that  an  American  standard  of  decency  is 
secured  even  for  our  missionaries.  Not  only  is 
medical  attendance  careless  and  inadecpiate,  but  the 
absence  of  ordinary  sanitary  facilities  makes  the 
problem  of  health  difficult  even  under  the  most 
careful  conditions. 

The  center  of  the  town  is  always  the 
The  Plaza  Plaza,  usually  occupied  partly  by  the 

Catholic  Church  and  surrounded  by  the 


i6 

main  public  and  business  buildings.  The  Plaza  and 
Cathedral  of  Humacao,  with  the  beautiful  colors 
and  skyline  of  the  mountains  as  a background,  is 
most  attractive,  though  within  a few  months  many 
of  its  fine  old  trees  have  been  ruthlessly  slaught- 
ered, ostensibly  for  improvement's  sake.  In  the 
majority  of  the  towns,  however,  the  Plaza  is  ragged 
and  unkempt ; its  fences  and  pavements  shattered 
and  disfigured  with  unsightly  debris.  The  churches, 
although  many  of  them  have  fine  architectural  lines, 
are  damp,  discolored  and  in  general  disrepair.  The 
public  buildings  have  fared  better  and  under  Amer- 
ican auspices  have  been  made  to  present  a creditable 
appearance.  Many  of  the  recently  erected  public 
schools  are  models  of  substantial  tropical  archi- 
tecture. Everywhere  the  barracks  of  the  insular 
police  are  notable  for  neatness  and  order,  while 
the  trim  figures,  gentlemanly  bearing  and  fine  horse- 
manship of  these  picked  men  make  a most  favor- 
able impression. 

The  poorer  quarters  of  the 
The  Poorer  Quarters  tOWnS  Consist  of  huddles  of 

thatched  huts  set  in  utter  dis- 
regard for  streets.  Jagged  gullies  worn  by  the  rains, 
often  constitute  the  only  pathways.  Formerly  these 
huts  were  thatched  on  the  sides  as  well  as  the  top. 
the  material  being  either  the  leaves  and  bark  of 
the  cocoa  palm  or  the  heavy  stalks  of  the  sugar 
cane.  Now,  frequently,  the  huts  are  less  roman- 
tically walled  with  fragments  of  packing  boxes  and 
the  legend  “Armour's  iMeats"  or  “Babbitt's  Soap" 
greets  tbe  eye  at  every  turn.  Of  furnishings  there 
are  almost  none.  A tiny  hammock,  seemingly  bor- 


17 

rowed  from  an  American  sleeping  car,  serves  for 
a rocking  chair  and  bed.  An  earthenware  vessel, 
the  size  of  a half  bushel,  turns  out  to  be  a char- 
coal stove  on  which  all  cooking  is  done.  Cocoanut 
shells  and  gourds  are  the  chief  domestic  utensils. 
A gamecock  or  pig  tied  by  the  leg  to  one  of  the 
flimsy  wooden  piles  on  which  the  house  is  built,  is 
characteristic  of  the  picture.  The  family  washing 
is  done  by  women  scjuatting  in  the  nearby  stream 
while  the  clothes  are  dried  upon  the  rocks.  And 
washing  day  comes  every  day  in  Porto  Rico,  for 
even  the  hundreds  of  peons  in  the  cane  fields  are 
dressed  in  white  linen,  and  to  appear  well  clothed 
seems  to  be  one  of  the  universal  Porto  Rican  char- 
acteristics. 

At  first  glance,  one  would  say  that 
Occupations  almost  the  sole  occupation  of  the 

poorer  Porto  Rican  of  the  towns  is 
hawking  articles  of  food  or  clothing  about  the 
streets.  Every  other  man,  woman  and  child  bal- 
ances a basket  on  his  head,  and  wants  to  sell  a 
pennyworth  of  produce  from  his  little  cart.  In  the 
morning  they  gather  by  hundreds  in  the  market 
square  and  later  cry  their  wares  shrilly  up  and  down 
the  narrow  streets.  Ilidden  away  here  and  there, 
however,  one  finds  most  of  the  hand  industries 
carried  on  in  simple  and  primitive  fashion,  and  fre- 
quently with  remarkable  skill.  The  hat  and  basket 
weaving  and  the  lace  making  of  Porto  Rico  are  of 
course  famous.  The  cabinet  maker  in  his  way  is 
an  equally  fine  craftsman,  and  the  shapes  of  the 
native  pottery  show  no  mean  artistic  taste. 

Many  of  the  Porto  Rican  women  are  excellent 


I8 

dressmakers  and  get  remarkable  results  without 
the  use  of  patterns.  It  is  a frequent  village  sight 
to  see  one  sitting  in  the  doorway  or  even  squatting 
in  the  street,  working  at  her  little  hand  machine, 
l)rohably  mounted  on  a box. 

h'ar  up  the  valleys,  on  the  shoulders  of 
Rural  Life  the  mountains,  under  the  ocean  clififs 
or  along  sandy  beaches  are  scattered 
little  villages  of  a few  dozen  huts  where  goes  on 
tlie  most  typical  life  of  Porto  Rico;  for  the  whole 
Island  is  essentially  rural  rather  than  urban. 
Most  of  its  people  liye  in  .such  little  groups.  No- 
where is  there  the  isolation  of  the  western  farmer 
of  the  States.  On  the  other  hand  the  problems 
of  city  life,  which  are  apt  to  impress  one  first,  are 
not  numerically  the  chief  problems  of  the  Island, 
I'he  real  problem  is  how  to  reach  and  uplift  the 
multitudes  of  these  minor  communities;  and  this 
the  Catholic  Church  in  its  four  hundred  years  of 
unchallenged  opportunity,  never  did,  nor  has  the 
American  rule,  with  its  sanitation  and  education 
more  than  begun  to  do  it. 


II.— THE  CALL  FOR  PROTESTANT  MISSIONS. 


The  most  general  explanation  of  the  need  of 
Protestant  missions  in  Porto  Rico  is  found  in  the 
fact  that  there  are  important  things  which  no  one 
else  can  do.  Protestantism  has  of  course  its  own 
jKjsitive  message  to  the  people  of  Porto  Rico. 
Neither  the  Catholic  Church,  nor  the  Government 
professes  to  furnish  an  Evangelical  Gospel,  based 
on  a popular  understanding  of  the  Scriptures  and 
expressed  through  a democratic  organization  of 
church  life;  but  beyond  this,  Protestant  missions 
have  a social  service  to  perform  in  Porto  Rico  which 
grows  out  of  certain  failures  of  the  older  faith  and 
the  new  political  rule. 

The  first  failure  of  the  Catho- 
Institutional  Failure  Church  is  to  provide  for  the 

of  Catholicism  people  of  I’orto  Rico  even 
nominally.  For  the  1,000,000 
of  population,  the  published  reports  of  the  church 
claim  at  present  but  66  secular  priests  and  49  mem- 
bers of  religious  orders,  87  churches  and  21  chapels 
and  oratories,  which  is  less  than  one  church  for 
every  10,000  souls.  And  these  numbers  represent 
a large  increase  over  the  Catholic  forces  as  they 
existed  before  Protestantism  came  in.  As  the  Cath- 
olic system  works  and  has  worked  through  all  the 
centuries,  the  majority  of  the  population  has  been 
without  actual  religious  privileges.  Hundreds  of 
thousands  of  Porto  Ricans  have  passed  through 
life  unbaptized,  unwedded,  unconfessed,  simply  be- 


Not  Her  Automobile.' 


21 


cause  the  Catholic  religious  forces  were  too  few, 
too  poor  or  too  inefficient  to  provide  for  them.  An- 
other of  the  striking  aspects  of  this  failure  is  seen 
in  the  lack  of  financial  support  given  to  the  Catholic 
Church  by  its  own  people.  Under  the  system  of 
state  support  they  naturally  were  untrained  to  vol- 
untary giving,  so  that  now  our  handfuls  of  poor 
church  members  frequently  contribute  more  to  their 
own  support  than  do  the  hundreds  of  Catholics  who 
throng  their  churches  on  occasional  feast  clays,  but 
attend  them  rarely  at  other  times.  The  facts  are, 
that  all  the  Protestant  and  all  the  Catholic  agencies 
combined  do  not  nearly  furnish  ordinary  religious 
privileges  to  the  Island. 

The  results  of  these  centuries  of 
Virtual  Paganism  religious  neglect  is  a condition  in 
which  immense  numbers  of  the 
population  are  virtually  pagan.  Indeed,  perhaps  the 
majority  of  them  are  not  Catholic,  but  adherents  of 
a strange  type  of  Spiritualism,  a complicated  and 
obscure  movement,  without  seeming  organic  unity, 
but  with  a multitude  of  local  circles,  teachers  and 
mediums,  publications,  and  gatherings.  This  ten- 
dency touches  on  the  one  hand  the  lowest  depths  of 
African  spiritism,  and  on  the  other  extreme  the 
most  refined  of  philosojdiical  speculations.  It 
knows  all  about  Mrs.  Eddy  and  the  Society  for 
Psychic  Research.  A fisherman  in  a remote  village, 
replied  to  my  “hope  that  I might  meet  him  again,” 
that  “perhaps  it  would  be  when  we  each  had  a re- 
incarnation.” Thus  a Buddhistic  conceit  has  be- 
come part  of  the  commonplace  of  Porto  Rican 
thinking. 


22 


The  magnificent  development 
Not  Needed  for  of  public  education  under 
Common  School  Work  American  rule  has  reduced  the 
demand  for  general  educa- 
tional effort  on  the  part  of  the  missionary  agencies  in 
Porto  Rico  to  comparatively  small  terms.  From  the 
first  the  policy  of  the  American  Missionary  Associa- 
tion was  to  look  to  the  public  schools  to  supply  a 
common  schooling  to  all  the  Island.  Some  of.  the 
other  denominations  entered  more  largely  into  edu- 
cational ventures,  but  only  to  reduce  their  activities 
in  this  line  as  public  facilities  increased.  MTile  only  a 
small  per  cent,  of  the  school  population  yet  is  in 
actual  attendance,  the  tremendous  strides  of  public 
education  make  it  certain  that  a full  measure  of 
American  opportunity  for  schooling  will  soon  be 
l)rought  to  all  the  children  of  the  Island.  Over 
100,000  are  already  enrolled  in  nearly  2,000  schools, 
a gain  of  60  per  cent,  in  two  years  in  common 
school  grades.  Few,  even,  of  the  smallest  villages 
are  without  a school;  170  of  the  public  school 
teachers  in  1909  were  Americans.  Only  345  stu- 
dents, however,  were  of  high  school  grade,  besides 
about  200  in  the  so-called  “Normal”  departments. 

Moreover,  it  is  at  present  im- 
Prejudice  against  possible  to  get  public  support 
Vocational  Training  for  this  most  iiecessary  form  of 
education.  Vocational  schools, 
which  were  emphasized  in  the  earliest  public 
school  policy  in  Porto  Rico,  have  been  completely 
abandoned,  no  provision  whatever  for  them  being 
indicated  in  the  last  report  of  the  Insular  Commis- 
sioner of  Education.  The  reason  for  this  abandon- 


23 

ment  is  interesting,  and  throws  a flood  of  light  on 
the  Porto  Rican  character  and  situation.  When 
the  Insular  Legislature  and  municipalities  began  to 
be  called  upon  to  supply  their  own  taxes  for  the 
support  of  education,  they  called  an  immediate  halt 
to  American  plans  to  make  the  type  of  public  educa- 
tion strongly  industrial.  Alice  Roosevelt  had  dedi- 
cated a splendidly  equipped  Manual  Training  High 
School  in  Ponce,  named  in  her  honor.  When  I saw 
it  in  1910  not  a shop  was  occupied  or  a wheel 
turning,  and  so  it  is  all  over  the  Island.  The  Porto 
Rican  idea  of  education  is  entirely  academic. 
Schooling  is  supposed  to  prevent  the  necessity  of 
manual  labor  and  to  look  toward  the  professions. 
While,  therefore,  under  American  stimulus  and  ad- 
ministration, the  Island  is  moving  toward  universal 
education  of  some  sort,  the  hands  which  hold  the 
purse  strings  of  the  schools  have  no  idea  of  adapting 
education  definitely  to  the  needs  of  the  masses  of 
the  people.  Porto  Rico  is  less  to  be  blamed  because 
America  only  recently,  and  still  haltingly,  has  been 
willing  to  accept  this  idea  of  education.  Further, 
the  American  classes  with  whom  the  Porto  Rican 
has  had  opportunity  to  become  acquainted  hitherto 
have  not  tended  to  exalt  the  idea  of  practical  educa- 
tion. The  official  has  come,  the  soldier,  the  capital- 
ist and  the  school  teacher ; but  the  American  farmer 
and  artisan  have  not  come.  They  ought  not  to  come 
without  adequate  knowledge  of  conditions  and  the 
capital  necessary  to  embark  upon  life  in  a new  and 
strange  country.  Yet  the  normal  American  respect 
for  labor  will  be  slow  in  impressing  the  Porto 
Rican,  if  he  never  has  the  opportunity  to  see  the 


24 


average  American,  self-respecting  in  his  daily  toil. 
The  fact  remains,  therefore,  that  the  type  of  educa- 
tion most  needed,  cannot  be  furnished  by  the  public 
schools  without  a complete  revolution  of  Porto 
Rican  public  opinion.  The  whole  field  of  industrial 
training  is  left  for  private  initiative  and  becomes 
one  of  the  main  responsibilities  of  the  missionary 
agencies. 

On  the  side  of  public  health  and  sanitary  ad- 
ministration, an  admirably  funda- 
Place  of  mental  and  comprehensive  policy 
Medical  Missions  has  been  initiated  by  the  Govern- 
ment and  will  undoubtedly  be  pre- 
sented increasingly  with  the  years.  William  J. 
Bryan  came  back  from  his  recent  visit  to  the 
Island  to  urge  more  adecjuate  measures  in  this  di- 
rection upon  the  Congressional  Committee  of  In- 
sular Affairs.  But  when  government  activity  has 
done  its  utmost  there  remains  so  close  a relation 
between  disease  and  morality  that  the  best  policy 
will  fail  unless  the  roots  of  disease  are  reached  in 
personal  conduct.  Only  personal  cleanliness  can 
coiKjuer  the  hookworm  and  only  a new  standard  of 
morality  between  the  sexes  can  eradicate  those  ter- 
rific social  diseases  which  are  the  worst  scourge  of 
the  Island.  The  conversion  of  the  Porto  Rican 
to  a Christian  type  of  manhood  and  womanhood 
is  fundamentally  necessary  for  the  success  of  the 
public  health  measures  of  the  government,  however 
scientific  and  however  efficiently  applied.  So  the 
medical  missionary,  preaching  at  once  the  gospel  of 
health  and  of  righteousness,  is  the  most  natural  and 
necessary  of  missionary  agents. 


25 


To  sum  up  then,  the  business  of  the 
Summary  Protestaut  missionary  in  Porto  Rico  is 
primarily  to  proclaim  an  evangelical  gos- 
pel and  to  establish  a democratic  church.  This 
needs  no  formal  argument.  Besides,  there  is  the  ab- 
solute inadequacy  of  Catholicism,  numerically  meas- 
ured. Porto  Rico  is  largely  non-christian ; and  gen- 
erally subject  to  the  most  astounding  vagaries  of 
religious  thought  and  practice.  Public  facilities  for 
education  are  largely  developed  and  will  soon  be- 
come adequate  on  the  merely  academic  side,  but 
the  peculiar  attitude  of  Porto  Rico  toward  labor 
makes  the  modern  emphasis  on  vocational  training, 
at  public  expense,  impossible  there.  The  public 
health  program,  magnificently  attempted  by  the 
Government,  can  only  succeed  if  moral  training  goes 
with  it  and  if  it  can  be  taught  in  the  homes  of  the 
people  through  the  pastoral  ministries  of  the  mis- 
sionary workers. 


Ill CONGREGATIONAL  MISSIONARY 

AGENCIES. 


1.  Educational. 

We  shall  now  see  how  far  and  through  what  in- 
stitutions the  American  Missionary  Association 
has  been  able  to  meet  these  needs  of  Porto  Rico  in 
the  Congregational  field. 

Our  educational  work  is  limited  to 
Blanche  Kellogg  a single  institution,  Blanche  Kel- 
Institute  logg  Institute  at  Santurce,  the 

residential  suburb  of  the  capital  of 
the  Island,  San  Juan.  Here,  on  an  ample  site,  sur- 
rounded by  that  strange  Porto  Rican  mixture  of 
mansions  and  thatched  shacks,  has  risen  an  attrac- 
tive building  costing  some  $18,000,  as  a memorial 
to  the  young  girl  whose  name  it  bears.  Her  father, 
a hard-working  and  thrifty  florist  of  a middle 
western  State,  had  accumulated  a modest  fortune. 
When  his  daughter  died  he  desired  to  perpetuate  in 
some  way  the  sweetness  and  beauty  of  her  life.  He 
gave  largely  for  the  establishment  of  the  school  and 
the  erection  of  its  building,  and  had  planned  to  give 
it  a daughter’s  share  in  his  estate.  Certain  financial 
difficulties  toward  the  end  of  his  life  prevented  the 
consummation  of  this  plan.  Yet  those  who  have 
the  responsibilities  of  the  school  and  who  know  the 
thought  of  its  chief  donor,  are  glad  to  feel  that  in 
the  Institute  is  realized  in  good  measure  this  fine 
and  devoted  purpose.  The  Congregational  Endeavor- 
ers  also  contributed  largely  to  the  erection  of  the 
Institute  building,  and  are  proud  to  claim  the  school 
one  pf  their  joint-planting  -with  Mr.  Kellogg. 


27 


The  building  is  a beautiful  sample  of 
Buildings  and  the  Spanish  type  of  architecture,  well 
Equipment  adapted  to  a tropical  climate.  Its 
deep,  cool  porches  and  shuttered  win- 
dows afford  shelter  from  the  intense  tropical  light 
and  heat.  Five  commodious  schoolrooms  are  on 
the  first  floor  and  living  quarters  for  six  or  eight 
teachers  and  a small  number  of  boarding  pupils 
have  been  furnished  on  the  second.  Connected 
with  the  main  building  by  a portico  is  Adams 
Chapel,  erected  from  funds  supplied  by  the  Church 
Building  Society,  furnishing  a fitting  place  for  the 
general  and  religious  exercises  of  the  school  and  for 
the  Sunday  School  services.  The  finest  homes  of 
Porto  Rico  and  many  of  the  public  institutions  of 
San  Juan  as  well  as  the  chief  missionary  institu- 
tions of  the  different  denominations  are  in  easy 
walking  distance  of  the  school,  while  excellent  trol- 
ley service  connects  with  San  Juan. 

In  its  early  days,  before  Porto  Rican  life  had 
Pupils  fallen  into  its  grooves  after  the  American 
occupancy,  the  school  was  attended  promis- 
cuously by  cbildren  of  the  neighborhood ; but  with 
the  growth  of  public  facilities  a natural  selection 
took  place.  It  left  the  Institute  with  pupils  from 
the  two  extremes  of  society,  both  being  geographi- 
cally its  near  neighbors.  It  came  to  have  on  the 
one  hand,  the  children  of  the  wealthiest  classes,  in- 
cluding numbers  of  Americans  and  foreigners,  who 
were  able  to  pay  considerable  tuition  and  whose 
parents  patronized  the  school  on  account  of  its  supe- 
rior advantages  and  its  American  teachers.  On  the 
other  hand,  there  were  the  children  of  the  shacks, 


Blanche  Kellogg  Insiitute,  Santurce. 


29 

who  could  pay  nothing,  and  practically  had  to  be 
clothed  and  fed  and  otherwise  ministered  to  by  the 
missionary  teachers. 

The  divergent  ideals  and  needs 
Two  Schools  in  One  of  the  two  classes  made  it  nec- 
essary, after  a while,  to  organ- 
ize really  two  schools  within  the  one  buiUling.  For 
the  pay  pupils,  charges  have  been  increased  until 
the  school  on  that  side  is  costing  very  little  of  mis- 
sion money,  with  every  prospect  that  before  long  it 
will  cost  none.  Indeed,  it  is  to  be  expected  that  the 
income  from  these  more  privileged  children  will 
soon  help  to  carry  on  the  mission  work  for  their 
more  needy  neighbors. 

For  these  children  of  the  poor. 
Four-fold  Service  also,  a somewliat  dft'erent  type  of 
Extension  Work  Schooling  is  urgently  needed ; one 
which  lays  large  stress  upon  prac- 
tical education,  especially  the  home-making  arts  for 
girls  and  elementary  industries  for  boys.  Plans 
are  under  way  for  the  erection  of  an  Industrial 
Building,  half  school  and  half  shop.  It  is  hoped  to 
make  it  a sort  of  pavilion,  open  on  all  sides,  but 
protected  from  storm  by  canvas  curtains,  in  which 
work  and  play  may  be  happily  combined,  without 
too  much  of  the  repressive  atmosphere  of  the  school 
room.  Boys'  and  girls'  clubs  and  other  community 
organizations  would  find  their  meeting  place  here, 
out  of  school  hours.  The  teachers  would  be  settle- 
ment workers  as  well ; and  with  a visiting  nurse  co- 
operating with  the  nearby  Presbyterian  Hospital, 
Blanche  Kellogg  Institute  would  be  splendidly 
equipped  for  the  extension  of  work  in  the  general 


Primary  Grade,  Blanche  Kellogg  Institute. 


31 

lines  of  community  betterment.  But  this  is  prophecy, 
rather  than  history;  yet  a prophecy  easy  to  fulfill, 
which  invites  some  helping  hands  with  greenbacks 
in  them  to  make  it  come  true. 

This  extension  of  the  work  is  im- 
B~Influence  on  portant  also  as  part  of  the  educa- 
Future  Leaders  tion  of  the  well-to-do  children. 

Those  who  are  neighbors  geograph- 
ically ought  to  be  neighbors  indeed.  The  extremes  of 
Porto  Rican  society  may  be  kept  in  helpful  contact 
through  the  medium  of  the  school,  and  the  lesson 
of  Christian  charity  will  be  taught  by  its  example 
better  than  by  all  its  precepts.  Indeed,  the  final 
justification  of  a mission  school  for  those  classes 
who  are  amply  able  to  pay  for  their  education,  lies 
in  the  opportunity  which  such  a school  presents  to 
influence  the  future  leaders  of  Porto  Rican  affairs. 
Naturally  these  children  come  mainly  from  Catholic 
homes.  The  school  does  not  attack  their  faith  nor 
seek  to  entice  them  from  it.  The  Scriptures  arc 
read,  studied  daily  in  the  school  and  memorized. 
Devotional  services  are  shared  by  all  and  have  their 
own  silent  influence.  Splendid  samples  of  Ameri- 
can womanliness,  of  modest  social  grace  and  of 
Christian  earnestness  are  daily  before  the  pupils  in 
the  persons  of  their  teachers.  This  is  the  mission 
of  the  school  to  its  more  fortunate  little  patrons. 

Ten  years  is  no  very  long  time, 
C— Training  of  but  long  enough  to  carry  some  of 
Christian  Workers  the  children  born  of  Protestant 
parents  through  the  common 
schools.  We  are  just  on  the  edge  of  a new  genera- 
tion, baptized  in  our  churches,  reared  in  our  Sun- 


32 


day  Schools,  and  now  possessed  of  the  elements  of 
an  English  education  and,  maturing  early  under  the 
tropical  sun,  ready  for  the  next  stage  of  Christian 
development.  They  are  not  many  in  numbers,  but 
we  know  of  some  in  our  little  parish  at  the  east  end 
of  the  Island.  Their  presence  puts  a new  demand 
upon  Blanche  Kellogg  Institute  and  upon  the  similar 
schools  of  the  other  denominations.  Somewhere 
these  young  people  must  have  a high  school  educa- 
tion such  as  the  Island  furnishes  only  in  three  or 
four  of  the  larger  cities  and  at  the  same  time  a spe- 
cial training  for  Christian  service  which  shall  make 
some  of  them  preachers  and  evangelists  and  all  of 
them  efficient  and  intelligent  church  workers.  The 
ultimate  solution  of  this  problem  depends  upon  the 
establishment  of  a union  Protestant  training  school 
for  Christian  work.  For  the  immediate  future, 
Blanche  Kellogg  Institute  plans  to  take  a few 
picked  young  people  from  the  mission  schools  into 
its  more  advanced  grades  and  to  provide  living 
quarters  for  them  by  an  alteration  of  its  building. 
There  will  then  be  added  to  their  course  of  study 
simple  instruction  in  methods  of  religious  work, 
and  they  will  be  sent  out,  the  first  fruits  of  the  new 
Christian  order  in  Porto  Rico.  Facilities  for  this 
phase  of  the  work  and  additional  teaching  forces  to 
carry  it  out  are  just  now  urgently  needed.  The  crit- 
ical importance  of  it  for  the  whole  mission  problem 
on  the  Island  is  clear. 

Blanche  Kellogg  Institute  final- 
D -Religious  Center  ly  fumishes  a religious  center 
for  Americans  to  a few  of  the  increasing 

American  population  of  San 


33 


Juan,  many  of  whom  are  settling  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  school.  Down  in  the  city  the  Pres- 
byterian and  Episcopal  denominations  have  excel- 
lent services  in  English,  and  just  at  the  edge  of 
Santurce  the  INIethodists  have  built  an  elaborate 
church  ; but  still  the  simple  service  on  Sunday  after- 
noons in  Adams  Chapel  has  a real  service  and  pro- 
vides for  a probably  increasing  constituency. 

The  teaching  force  at  the  Institute  has  consisted 
for  the  past  year  of  seven  lady  teachers,  two  of 
whom  gave  their  time  to  the  free  school.  i\Ipst  of 
the  pupils  were  only  of  low  grade,  but  with  the  de- 
velopment of  general  education  the  Institute  expects 
rank  as  a high  school  and  to  perform  its  chief  ser- 
vice on  this  plane. 

2. — Church  and  Evangelistic  JJ-^ork. 

Of  organized  churches  in  the 
Organizations  Congregational  district  at  the 
and  Missionaries  eastern  end  of  the  Island,  there 
were  ten  in  1909,  with  twentv- 
two  chapels  or  stated  preaching  stations  surrounding 
them, — located  chiefly  in  the  Playas  or  port  settle- 
ments, among  the  scattered  villages  of  fishermen 
or  farmers  along  the  coast  and  up  the  valleys.  The 
missionary  force  consisted  of  two  ordained  Ameri- 
cans and  their  wives.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  John  Edwards 
supervise  the  northern  division  of  our  territory  cen- 
tering in  Fajardo,  and  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Otto  J. 
Scheibe  the  southern  division  centering  in  ITumacao. 
The  Scheibes,  however,  had  to  return  during  the 
year  on  account  of  continued  sickness  due  to  bad 
sanitary  conditions  which  it  was  then  impossible  to 
rectify.  Their  field  was  promptly  supplied  by  thq 


34 

appointment  of  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Gray,  expe- 
rienced missionaries  formerly  in  the  Micronesian 
Islands.  Three  unmarried  ladies  from  the  States 
have  assisted  them  as  Bihle  women  and  parish  work- 
ers, and  ten  or  twelve  native  evangelists  have  come 
to  and  fro  on  foot  or  by  pony  or  bicycle,  preaching 
in  the  many  outlying  districts,  almost  every  night 
in  the  week. 

The  churches  at  the  chief  centers, 
Chief  Centers  Fajardo  and  hlumacao,  have  a fully 
organized  parish  life,  and  a well-at- 
tended and  impressive  round  of  services.  Each  is 
now  furnished,  through  the  help  of  our  Church 
Building  Society  with  a well  designed,  tasteful  and 
adequate  church  edifice,  the  equal  of  any  Protestant 
building  in  Porto  Rico,  while  the  Blanche  Kellogg 
Building  is  by  far  the  best  possessed  by  any  Protes- 
tant school.  Here,  however,  and  unfortunately,  the 
story  stops,  or  will  stop,  for  besides  a couple  of  small 
but  neat  chapels  our  other  churches  and  many 
preaching  points  were  housed  only  in  rented  build- 
ings or  the  homes  of  the  people. 

With  the  splendid  fruitage  of  a decade  of  work 
waiting  to  be  harvested  and  conserved,  the  era  of 
building  has  come  upon  the  mission  work  with  an 
insistence  which  will  not  be  de- 
The  Era  of  Building  nied.  The  Church  Building 

Society  will  cordially  cooper- 
ate in  this  aspect  of  the  work  as  fast  as  its  resources 
permit,  and  just  now  appropriations  from  its  treas- 
ury have  enabled  us  to  buy  extremely  desirable 
church  building  sites  in  the  two  next  most  important 
towns,  Naguabo  and  Yabucoa.  Tn  the  latter  place, 


35 

the  site  fronts  the  Plaza  and  Cathedral,  and  is  next 
to  the  most  important  group  of  public  buildings. 
In  both  places,  the  buildings  now  upon  the  property 
are  furnishing  greatly  improved  quarters  for  relig- 
ious services  and  for  the  native  missionaries  as  well. 
In  neither  place,  however,  will  the  work  ever  have 
the  permanence  and  dignity  of  that  of  Fajardo  and 
Ilumacao  till  it  gets  equally  adequate  church  struc- 
tures, to  build  which  would  cost  $6,000  each ; while 
Juncos,  Luquillo  and  a dozen  .smaller  villages  and 
settlements  call  for  permanent  homes  for  their 
church  life.  The  monthly  rent  list  is  now  long  and 
constitutes  one  of  the  least  satisfactory  items  of  mis- 
sionary expenditure.  Rentals,  moreover,  are  con- 
stantly being  squeezed  up  and  will  soon  compel 
further  building  in  self-])rotection.  Compared  with 
.some  of  the  other  denominations,  we  have  occupie<l 
our  territory  very  poorly,  at  least  in  visible  posses- 
sion. Yet  what  we  have  done,  we  have  done  well. 
A Catholic  recent  appeal  for  funds  to  coml)at 
Protestantism  in  the  Island,  compliments  us  by 
showing  pictures  of  Blanche  Kellogg  Institute  and 
the  Humacao  church,  besides  quoting  more  largely 
from  the  American  Jllissionary  Magazitic  than  from 
any  other  source. 

The  pathetic  appeals  from  our  American  mis- 
sionaries for  parsonages  have  double  meaning  for 
the  Association,  because  it  has  seen  so  many  of  its 
faithful  workers  break  under  the  strain  of  climate 
and  unsanitary  surroundings,  when  a comfortable 
little  home  with  breathing  space  around  it  would 
have  saved  the  day.  Unfortunately,  the  Building 
Society  cannot  give  money  for  parsonages,  but  only 


Rev.  Thomas  Gray,  Manuel  Crespo  and 
Street  Boys. 


San  Paulo  Church,  (Congregational), 
Humacao. 


37 

loan  it.  while  it  is  a fundamental  policy  of  the  Asso- 
ciation not  to  borrow,  and  its  resources  have  not 
permitted  a direct  grant.  If  we  could  only  start  the 
gifts,  say  with  a thousand  dollars  each  for  Fajardo 
and  Humacao,  then  perhaps  enough  might  be 
added  here  and  there  to  give  two  more  missionary 
families  a bit  of  privacy  and  peace. 

Numerically  speaking,  the  results 
Numerical  Results  of  our  work  are  not  impressive 
compared  with  the  thousands  en- 
rolled in  Sunday  school  and  church  elsewhere  in  the 
wide-spread  fields  of  the  Association’s  ministry.  In 
this  little  parish,  fifteen  miles  wide  and  twenty  long, 
with  its  ten  churches  and  some  twenty-five  work- 
ers, we  have  gathered  a total  church  member.ship 
of  nearly  500,  with  an  equal  numher  of  children  in 
Sunday  schools.  Relative  to  numbers  and  territory, 
this  compares  favorably  with  the  Protestant  results 
elsewhere  in  the  Island ; and  when  the  various  re- 
sults are  added  together,  both  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  superficial  impression  made  by  a tour  of  the 
Island  and  from  a comprehensive  stud}’  of  its  rela- 
tive strength,  Protestantism  in  Porto  Rico  is  seen 
to  have  made  magnificent  progress  and  to  have 
reached  striking  proportions.  Simply  to  the  eye, 
counting  the  conspicuous  buildings  of  the  Island,  the 
Protestant  church  looms  large,  while  by  confession 
of  the  Catholic  authorities,  its  advancement  threat- 
ens the  loss  of  their  long  supremacy.  Already  their 
leading  organs  speak  of  the  Catholic  problem  as 
that  of  a “re-conversion"  of  the  Island.  They  com- 
pare the  splendid  financial  support  of  Protestant 
churches  with  the  niggardly  resources  of  Catho- 


38 

Hcism  and  especially  attempt  to  stir  American 
Catholics  to  the  support  of  Porto  Rican  Missions 
by  the  story  of  the  terrific  inroads  of  Protestantism 
upon  the  children  of  the  faith. 

As  yet,  the  classes  chiefiy  reached 
Classes  Reached  by  Protestantism  corresponds  to 
the  apostolic  description,  “Not 
many  wise,  not  many  mighty,  not  many  noble  are 
called.”  Here  and  there  a professional  man,  school 
teacher  or  lawyer,  has  embraced  the  evangelical 
faith.  The  masses  of  the  Protestant  church,  how- 
ever, still  consist  of  poor  people;  day-laborers, 
artisans,  with  a few  small  shop-keepers. 

Out  of  this  material,  Protestant- 
Rise  of  ism  is  creating  something  which 

New  Social  Class  Porto  Rico  never  had,  an  in- 
telligent and  self-respecting  mid- 
dle class.  It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  no 
factor  in  the  Island  to-day  is  more  significant  or 
more  promising  than  is  the  life  of  this  class.  The 
main  tendency  of  American  influence,  with  its 
highly  centralized  capitalistic  methods  of  industry, 
has  not  made  for  the  growth  of  such  a class.  As 
already  noted,  the  middle  class  American  has  been 
conspicuously  absent  from  Porto  Rico.  The  teach- 
ing of  the  public  schools  has  doubtless  meant  much, 
but  the  real  training  school  of  Porto  Rican  thrift, 
self-respect  and  a dawning  capacity  for  self- 
government  has  been  the  free  life  of  the  Protestant 
church. 

The  salvation  of  Porto  Rico,  as 
Native  Evangelists  of  every  mission  field,  depends 
upon  the  develoianent  of  a na- 


39 

tive  ministry.  As  always,  in  the  early  stages  of 
such  a work,  native  workers  have  had  to  be  drawn 
directly  from  the  ranks  without  preliminary  prepa- 
rations. They  are  consequently  “picked  up"  rather 
than  picked  men,  called  from  the  field  anil  forge  and 
tobacco  factory.  The  early  church  did  its  work 
with  just  such  missionaries  and  their  training  was 
one  of  the  greatest  burdens  both  of  Christ  and  of 
the  apostles. 

In  Porto  Rico,  the  same  general  plan  has  been 
employed  by  all  the  denominations.  The  native 
workers  have  labored  under  the  direction  of  or- 
dained American  missionaries,  and  have  been 
trained  “on  the  job."  Their  reading  has  been  di- 
rected, courses  of  Bible  instructions  laid  out  for 
them  to  follow  in  their  preaching,  and  their  general 
plans  supervised.  Then  they  have  been  brought 
into  the  central  stations  at  stated  intervals  for  in- 
struction and  conference.  Their  sermon  plans  have 
been  criticised  and  their  methods  discussed.  Simple 
Bible  lessons  are  given  them  by  the  American  mis- 
sionary and  methods  of  exposition  explained. 
These  simple  and  practical  beginnings  have  devel- 
oped a remarkable  corps  of  Porto  Rican  evangelists, 
whose  personal  stories  are  frequently  of  thrilling 
interest.  W'ith  them  should  be  mentioned  a group 
of  unsalaried  women,  who  have  splendid  ability  in 
personal  evangelism. 

It  is,  however,  increasingly  mani- 
Need  of  Fully  fest  that  the  development  of  a 
Trained  Workers  Stable  and  intelligent  church  life 
requires  more  adequately  trained 
workers.  While  the  Porto  Rican  has  a native 


40 


gift  of  speech,  he  frequently  lacks  in  self-restraint 
and  in  genuine  thoughtfulness.  It  is  easy  for 
him  to  attack  the  Catholic  Church,  but  less  easy  to 
build  up  constructively  the  principles  of  New  Testa- 
ment morality  and  faith.  All  the  faults  of  the  first 
disciples  are  found  in  these  men.  Finally,  most  of 
them  were  converted  too  late  ever  to  acquire  a 
thorough-going  education.  The  relative  failure  of 
Protestantism  to  reach  the  more  cultivated  classes 
in  Porto  Rico  is  partly  due  to  the  rudeness  of  many 
of  these  devoted  evangelists. 

The  next  thing  in  the  develop- 
A Proposed  ment  of  Christian  workers  is 

Inter -denominational  clearly  the  establishment  of 
School  an  Institution  for  their  syste- 

matic training.  On  the  scholas- 
tic side,  the  work  would  at  present  be  only  of  high 
school  grade.  With  this  would  be  joined  thorough 
Bible-study  courses  and  such  instruction  in  methods 
of  Christian  work  as  is  adapted  to  the  Porto  Rican 
situation.  On  so  small  a territory  as  Porto  Rico, 
this  Institution  should  be  inter-denominational,  and 
plans  to  this  end  are  already  being  considered  by 
the  Home  Missions  Council,  representing  all  the 
agencies  concerned.  The  proposed  Institution  will 
be  the  crowning  manifestation  of  the  unity  of 
Protestantism  in  Porto  Rico. 

3. — Medical  Work. 

We  have  been  slow,  but  are  now 
Beginnings  of  Oil  the  eve  of  establishing  medi- 
Medical  Missions  cal  missionary  work  in  our  dis- 
trict. Some  of  the  other  denomi- 
nations have  gone  far  ahead  on  this  line,  and 


41 

are  finding  it  more  than  successful,  for  its  own 
sake,  and  as  a hand  maiden  of  the  Gospel.  Our 
1910-11  appropriations  provide  for  a doctor  to  be 
located  at  Naguabo  as  a supervising  center  for  tbe 
whole  district.  Suitable  property  has  been  secured 
and  the  search  for  a man  begun ; while  the  appeal 
of  this  new  effort  has  already  found  some  response 
in  special  gifts.  i\Iay  such  increase! 


IV.—  MISSIONARY  EXPERIENCES. 


Our  study  of  Porto  Rican  mis- 
Attitude  toward  sious  may  well  conclude  with  sev- 

Catholicism  Oral  brief  sketches  of  the  mission- 
ary’s actual  day’s  work.. 

One  of  its  delicate  aspects  concerns  his  proper 
relation  towards  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  In 
this  matter  many  differences  are  found  between 
Protestants,  and  these  diff'erences  are  reflected  in 
the  varying  attitudes  of  the  missionaries  on  the 
field.  There  can  scarcely  be  said  to  be  any  officially 
determined  point  of  view;  but  so  far  as  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Association  are  concerned,  they 
bring  no  railing  accusation  or  general  condemnation 
against  Porto  Rican  Catholicism.  They  do,  how- 
ever, state  the  actual  facts  as  they  meet  them  in 
the  communities  in  which  they  labor ; and  since 
Porto  Rico  is  small  (as  is  tbe  number  of  Catholic 
clergy, ) it  is  not  difficult  to  acquire  a first-hand 
knowledge  covering  a large  part  of  the  Island. 
Thus,  inter-denominational  conference  of  evangeli- 
cal workers  has  in  its  own  experience  sufficient  ma- 
terial for  a moral  census  covering  perhaps  nine- 
tenths  of  the  Catholic  priests ; and  this  generalized 
experience  would,  and  as  a matter  of  fact  does,  take 
the  form  of  rather  unfavorable  reports  as  to  their 
average  character. 

One  who  takes  his  knowledge  of  American 
Catholicism  as  his  clue  in  judging  of  that  church 
in  Porto  Rico,  is  worlds  away  from  the  truth.  In- 
stead of  a church  whose  life  is  in  every  way  tern- 


43 


pered  by  a spirit  of  democracy  and  progress,  whose 
faith  has  made  connection  with  many  of  the  great 
intellectual  and  spiritual  forces  of  the  modern  world 
and  whose  leaders  are  frequently  men  of  genuine 
patriotism  and  commanding  statesmanship,  we  find 
one  whose  face  is  turned  toward  the  past,  and  whose 
essential  attitude  has  scarcely  changed  since  the 
days  of  the  Spanish  Inquisition.  No  greater  bless- 
ing could  come  to  such  a church  than  to  receive  a 
new  infusion  of  life  from  American  Catholicism. 
A bare  beginning  has  been  made  in  the  recent  ap- 
pointment of  an  American  Bishop  ( who  undoubt- 
edly means  well ) ; and  if  a Protestant  ajipeal  would 
help,  we  would  be  more  than  glad  to  second  the 
calls  which  he  is  making  for  American  Sisters  to 
instruct  the  children  and  nurse  the  sick  at  Porto 
Rico.  W’e  could  not  agree,  of  course,  to  the  Bish- 
op’s argument  that  the  business  of  such  Sisters  is 
“to  save  Porto  Rico  from  the  Protestants,"  but 
we  do  believe  that  the  freer  spirit  of  American 
Catholic  workers  would  invariably  put  new  tone  and 
life  into  the  decrepit  ecclesiastical  organization 
which  bears  the  Catholic  name  in  the  Island.  “Some 
indeed  preach  Christ  even  of  envy  and  strife;  and 
some  also  of  good  will.  A'hat  then?  Only  that  in 
every  way,  whether  in  pretence  or  in  truth,  Christ 
is  proclaimed;  and  therein  I rejoice,  yea,  and  will 
rejoice.” 

Therefore  we  do  not  despair  for  the 
Few  Signs  Catholic  Church  in  Porto  Rico.  It 
of  Promise  may  yet  become  Americanized  and 

evangelical.  That  these  things  should 
be,  is  the  earnest  desire  of  the  writer;  God  hasten 


44 


the  day!  Nevertheless,  his  serious  question  on  a 
recent  tour  of  Porto  Rico,  whether  the  Catholic 
Church  shows  signs  of  progress — a (|uestion  asked 
of  all  sorts  of  people : officials,  school  teachers, 
business  men  as  well  as  missionaries — brought  the 
invariable  response  that,  as  yet,  there  are  no  vis- 
ible signs  of  it.  Whatever  may  be  in  the  future,  the 
awakening  of  Catholicism  to  a vital  religious  min- 
istry for  the  Island,  has  not  yet  come. 

It  may  be  many  days  before 
How  One  Missionary  we  reach  in  Porto  Rico  the 
“Fought  the  Catholics”  normal  relation  of  mutual 
respect  and  neighborliness 
which  obtain  in  so  large  measure  between  Catholics 
and  Protestants  in  the  States,  but  the  following  nar- 
rative of  how  one  missionary  “fought  the  Catho- 
lics" shows  that  the  beginnings  of  such  cooperation 
are  both  possible  and  actual  even  now.  He  writes : 

“Now  to  begin  my  story  I must  start  with  the 
very  beginning  of  my  work  here.  My  predecessor 
had  a wonderful  faculty  of  striking  hard  at  Roman- 
ism. This  did  not  set  well  with  the  people  here, 
first  because  he  was  a Cuban  [you  know  the  Cuban 
and  tbe  Porto  Rican  are  like  the  Jew  and  the 
Samaritan.]  So  when  I came  I found  quite  a 
hostile  feeling,  a sharp  line  drawn  between  the 
Catholic  and  the  Protestant  church.  I took  in  the 
situation  and  began  at  once  to  overcome  that,  and 
I went  to  the  verv  center  of  things  and  made 
friends  with  the  priest  of  the  Roman  Church.  At 
first  he  seemed  to  be  quite  hostile  and  talked  about 
the  work  as  of  no  importance ; but  little  by  little  I 
gained  on  him  and  at  last  won  his  confidence.  A 


45 


little  more  than  a year  ago  he  was  taken  sick.  I 
called  to  see  him  and  in  a time  when  he  was  in  need 
of  an  organ  I let  him  use  my  small  folding  organ. 
This  was  during  the  Bishop’s  visit.  AA'ell  I had  the 
whole  thing  under  obligation  to  me.  They  were 
using  my  organ  so  they  dared  not  say  or  do  any- 
thing detrimental  to  our  work.  AA'cll,  that  opened 
the  way  for  me.  Then  after  that  came  Holy  Week 
as  it  is  called  here.  On  Palm  Sunday  he  sent  me  a 
large  palm  from  his  church.  From  then  I knew 
that  every  barrier  on  the  part  of  him  was  removed. 
About  the  first  of  the  year  he  was  taken  sick  again. 
I called  to  see  him.  He  asked  me  to  return  and  I 
did.  AA’e  had  many  good  heart  to  heart  talks.  He 
called  me  brother,  or  Pastor,  and  always  talked  of 
our  church  as  the  ‘San  Paulo  Church,'  not  the 
‘Protestant  Church,’  as  the  people  commonly  do. 
Then  I was  down  for  four  or  five  days  with  a boil 
and  he  sent  over  daily  to  see  how  I was  getting  on, 
and  when  at  last  I could  go  out  I called,  as  he  was 
a neighbor  to  us  here.  During  our  conversations 
we  always  talked  about  things  we  had  in  com- 
mon,— something  we  could  agree  on.  We  went 
through  Orr’s  book  on  the  Ahrgin  Birth  of  Christ, 
I translating,  and  many  other  things.  This  to  him 
was  a great  revelation,  as  he  was  entirely  ignorant 
of  the  teachings  of  the  Protestant  Church,  while 
otherwise  he  was  a very  intelligent  man.  Well,  his 
sickness  proved  fatal.  After  lingering  for  a while 
he  died.  About  a week  before  he  died  he  took  his 
last  communion  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  the  Mass  beginning  in  the  church 
and  going  to  the  house.  It  was  a beautiful  pro- 


46 

cession.  Well,  the  next  day  he  sent  over  for  me, 
saying  that  he  would  like  to  see  me  before  he  died. 
When  I came  in  he  ordered  a chair  put  close  to  his 
side  and  asked  me  to  sit  there.  He  took  my  hand 
and  held  it  for  a long  time.  Then  gathering  enough 
strength,  he  said  that  his  course  was  run  and  his 
work  ended,  and  that  he  bid  God's  blessing  on  mine. 
Well  then,  I thought  I had  better  go,  as  he  was  so 
weak  and  I did  not  want  to  excite  him ; but  he  in- 
sisted on  my  remaining,  he  still  holding  my  hand 
Well,  then,  I spoke  to  him  of  the  hope  that  was 
within  us,  and  he  said  that  perhaps  we  [meaning 
the  Protestants]  had  the  best  hope.  Then  he  dozed 
away.  I tried  to  withdraw  my  hand  but  still  he 
held  on ; so  I sat  there  for  one  hour  and  a half. 
The  priest  who  was  taking  his  place  came  in  and 
he  introduced  me  to  him  as  a ‘True  Brother.’ 
Knowing  that. his  end  was  at  hand  he  was  just  as 
calm  as  he  could  be,  but  he  seemed  to  be  especially 
calm  when  he  was  holding  my  hand.  Well,  after 
a while  his  sleep  came  heavier  and  I left  him,  and 
that  night  he  passed  away.  The  only  one  I have 
told  here  is  my  wife,  but  the  whole  town  knows  it. 
and  it  has  made  an  impression.  The  present  priest 
puts  himself  out  to  be  courteous,  and  so  we  are 
really  working  together.  \\’hen  that  can  be  accom- 
plished we  will  have  different  results. 

“It  has  been  an  experience  worth  coming  for  when 
one  can  get  such  companionship  from  such  a man 
as  was  this  priest.  He  was  one  of  the  strongest 
in  the  Island.’’ 

The  next  two  extracts  are  from  routine  reports 
of  outstation  work  in  the  Fajardo  District  and  pic- 


47 

ture  the  actual  problems  of  the  evangelical  worker. 

“C — without  controversy  is  a piti- 
A Difficult  Field  ful  place,  nondescript  and  full  of 
ignorance,  pride,  vanity,  dirt, 
gambling  dens,  politics,  contempt  of  Americans, 
poverty,  immorality,  intrigues  and  so  on.  All  this 
is  there.  Some  may  say,  ‘Such  things  are  in  every 
town  and  village  and  country  corner  on  the  Isl- 
and’ ; but  not  all  places  seem  to  be  so  proud  of 
these  things  as  the  people  of  C — are,  and  when  the 
])resence  of  the  Gospel  has  been  as  long  in  a place 
as  there,  the  very  town  seems  to  become  ashamed 
of  such  things  and  there  are  people  who  try  to  ex- 
plain or  apologize ; but  the  people  of  C — ! They 
have  been  quarreling  with  their  priest.  They  have 
had  a young  man  for  a priest  this  last  month  who 
seemed  to  be  polite  and  kind-hearted  and  he  ac- 
tually refused  to  throw  rotten  eggs  at  the  Protes- 
tants from  his  pulpit.  For  that,  about  half  his 
parish  turned  against  him  and  they  had  quite  an 
exciting  time.  Of  course  I don’t  know  exactly  the 
nature  of  the  division  ; however,  one  of  the  parties 
met  Robles  one  day.  The  latter  asked  him  in  a 
friendly  way  how  he  was,  but  this  zealous  Romanist 
told  Robles,  ‘You  must  be  very  happy  now  seeing 
us  quarreling  in  the  church.’  This  was  Robles’ 
opportunit}'  and  he  did  not  let  it  slip.  He  told 
him  we  were  here  in  Porto  Rico  as  heralds  of  the 
Prince  of  Peace,  to  establish  peace  between  men 
and  God,  between  men  themselves,  in  families, 
among  neighbors,  through  neighborhoods,  in 
churches,  between  nations  and  through  the  world. 
He  spoke  for  some  time  until  that  individual  went 


Porto  Rican  Evangelists, 
Asuncion  Delgado  and  Wife. 


49 

away  knowing  something  more  about  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  than  he  did  up  to  that  date.  Robles 
related  the  matter  at  length  and  was  thankful  for 
his  education  in  this  mission.” 

“We  are  looking  for  a site  to  build 
A Priest  of  Oil  in  L.  It  will  be  hard  work  to 
Another  Type  find  a site  there.  The  priest  is  a 
wicked,  unscrupulous  man.  Con- 
science doesn't  trouble  him  aiiparently  in  the  least. 
I never  heard  a man,  even  in  Spanish,  that  can 
swear  more  freely  than  he.  lie  is  a gambler;  I 
saw  him  at  it,  before  I knew  he  was  a priest.  He 
lives  with  a woman,  and  has  a family  of  her.  He 
never  preaches  of  course,  says  Mass  sometimes. 
All  his  time  is  given  to  gossiping  and  fooling  the 
people  about  the  Protestants.  He  has  been  in 
L.  about  forty  years,  and  look  at  the  place — every 
crime  in  the  calendar,  even  the  calendar  of  the 
church  of  Rome,  has  been  committed  there  since 
we  have  been  in  Fajardo.  It  will  be  fighting  Satan 
in  his  stronghold ; that  will  be  our  task  in  that  vil- 
lage of  800  or  a 1,000  people.  Rut  Jesus  can  do  it ; 
we  trust  Him.  What  He  has  done  during  the  last 
nine  years  on  this  field  gives  us  courage.” 

“By  this  mail  we  forward  a pic- 
Doing  the  Work  ture  of  the  chapel  at  A.  and  of 
of  an  Evangelist  the  workers  and  the  children  of 
the  Sunday  school, — that  is  nearly 
all  of  them.  Some  refused  to  appear  because  they 
were  afraid  of  the  camera,  and  some  of  those  who 
did  come  were  scared  when  the  machine  was  turned 
upon  them.  For  instance,  if  you  notice  the  one 
with  his  back  against  the  corner  of  the  building — 


50 


Delgado  told  me  the  little  fellow  was  actually  cry- 
ing. Our  laborers,  Asuncion  Delgado  and  Carmen 
Cruz,  his  wife,  stand  in  the  door,  and  in  the  window 
to  their  left  is  a woman  from  the  Jimenes  family, 
living  a mile  and  a half  out  in  the  country  where 
this  interesting  work  began ; and  in  the  window 
around  the  corner  are  two  young  girls  from  the 
same  family.  Brother  A.  Delgado  entered  this 
field  about  two  years  ago,  with  Bible  in  hand,  walk- 
ing from  house  to  house,  reading  from  this  won- 
derful book  and  expounding  its  words  by  the 
help  of  the  Spirit  to  whomsoever  would  listen, 
whether  the  laborer  in  the  field,  the  traveler  on  the 
road,  or  those  at  home, — it  made  no  difference, 
provided  they  listened.  During  one  of  these  pere- 
grinations he  discovered  the  Jimenes  household  and 
to  his  joy  found  them,  father,  mother  and  children, 
ready  to  hear  and  welcome  the  truth.  The  mother 
and  oldest  children  were  converted,  and  the  father, 
although  he  doesn’t  profess  conversion  so  far,  is 
sympathetic  and  partial  to  the  Gospel.  Let  our 
prayer  be,  that  he  may  become  more  closely  ac- 
quainted with  it.  I am  sorry  the  mother  was  not 
present  when  this  group  was  taken. 

“Alien  the  ground  for  A.  chapel  was  bought,  it 
was  considered  quite  outside  the  town ; no  homes 
near  it.  But  the  road,  by  the  side  of  which  it  was 
situated  for  the  convenience  of  that  country  pre- 
cinct, Quebrada  de  Fajardo,  is  to-day  a street  with 
homes  on  both  sides  as  far  as  the  chapel ; and  on 
the  side  where  the  chapel  itself  is,  the  houses  reach 
beyond  it  towards  the  country.  It  is  true  that  they 
are  only  humble  dwellings,  those  of  the  humbler 


51 


working  class ; and  we  earnestly  pray  that  our 
chapel  may  not  only  be  a means  of  grace  unto  their 
souls,  but  also  that  its  neat  appearance  and  nicely- 
kept  grounds  may  be  a practical  example  to  them. 

“I  have  delayed  sending  in  the  report,  hoping  to 
find  money  enough  to  pay  the  last  cent  upon  the 
building.  I wish  I could  receive  from  some  lovers 
of  this  cause  about  a thousand  dollars  to  set  up  two 
or  three  more  of  these  little  chapels.  They  are 
needed  in  Luquillo  and  in  Quebrada  Seca,  if  ever 
the  cause  of  Christ  needed  a building.” 

The  following  is  not  bad  as  an  example  of  ready 
Christian  wit: 

“Last  year,  in  L.,  I gave  “Manzanas  de  Oro”  fa 
Sunday  School  paper]  to  the  children.  There  is 
always  a bright,  pretty  picture  on  the  cover.  Many 
of  the  children  covered  their  school  books  with 
them,  others  folded  and  put  them  in- 

A Bit  of  side  their  books.  Some  were  reading 
Christian  Wit  them,  when  Dona  Juana,  the  teacher, 
came  and  looked  at  the  papers. 
With  a gesture  of  contamination  she  said,  ‘These 
are  filled  with  microbes.  Throw  them  all  out  into 
the  ditch.’  The  children  asked  their  parents  what 
microbes  were  and  told  the  story.  One  mother  sent 
her  child  out  to  gather  up  the  papers  and  bring 
them  to  her ; then  said,  ‘These  are  filled  with  Bible 
microbes  [explaining]  and  if  Dona  Juana  had 
caught  them  she  wouldn’t  tell  lies  to  you.’ 

“May  the  Bible  microbe  continue  to  spread.” 


52 


The  next  extract  consists  of  a 
Typical  monthly  report  of  one  of  the 
Monthly  Report  native  Porto  Rican  Evangelists. 

No  one  will  doubt  that  this 
Brother  earns  his  $40.00  a month  with  his  eighteen 
])reaching  appointments  and  nineteen  minor  ser- 
vices : enough  engagements  in  all  to  satisfy  a metro- 
politan preacher. 

Report  of  Manuel  Paris,  Luquillo,  for  month  of 
October ; 

Sept.  30th — Service,  7 P.  M.  Lesson,  Luke  14; 
Li-24.  Spoke  on  v.  22nd.  3.i  present. 

Oct.  2d — Mameyes  Primero.  Bible  Class  and 
preaching  service.  Lesson,  John  1 ; 30-44.  Preach- 
ed from  Luke,  4:4.  42  present. 

Oct.  3d — Luquillo.  Street  Service.  Lesson 
Mark  16,  preached  from  v.  16.  150  present. 

Bible  Class.  John,  1 : 30-44.  31  present. 

Oct.  3d — Sabana.  Bible  Class.  John,  1 : 30-44, 
and  Catechism.  Preaching  service,  John  2:  1-11. 
Spoke  on  v.  5.  32  present. 

Oct.  3 — Luquillo,  at  night.  Preaching  Service. 
Lesson  1 Reyes  18,  spoke  on  v.  21.  50  present. 

Offering  27c. 

Oct.  4th — Luquillo.  Service.  Lesson,  Alat.  11: 
1-6;  Lucas,  4:  1-19.  Spoke  from  Mat.  11:  5 and 
Luke  4:  18.  75  present. 

Oct.  5th — Luquillo,  Preaching  Service.  Lesson 
John,  4:  1-26.  Preached  from  v.  10.  27  present. 

Oct.  7th — Luquillo,  Prayer  ^Meeting.  Lesson, 
Luke  15:  1-10.  Spoke  on  v.  7.  16  present.  Very 

heavy  rain. 

Oct.  9th — Mameyes  Primero.  Bible  Class.  John 


53 


1:  45-51.  Preaching  Service.  Lesson,  Luke  15: 
1-10.  Spoke  from  v.  7.  17  present. 

Oct  10th — Luqnillo,  Bible  Class.  John  1 : 

45-51.  34  present. 

Oct.  10th — Sabana.  Bible  Class  and  Preaching 
.Service.  34  present. 

Oct.  10th — Luqnillo.  Preaching  Service.  Les- 
son, John  15:  1-10.  Spoke  from  v.  5.  41  present. 
Offering  24c. 

Oct.  11th — Paper  Service.  Lesson,  1 Cor.  3: 
1-15.  S])oke  from  11th  V.  60  present. 

Oct.  12th — Luqnillo.  Bible  Class.  Mark  15.  51 
present. 

Oct.  14th  — Luqnillo.  Prayer  Meeting  and 
Preaching  Service.  Lesson,  Mat.  7 : 13-22.  Spoke 
from  V.  21.  45  present. 

Oct.  16th — Alameyes  Primero.  Bible  Class. 
John  2:  1-16.  Preaching  Service.  Mark  11  : 1-21. 
Spoke  from  v.  20.  19  present. 

Oct  17th — Luqnillo.  Bible  Class.  John  2:  1-16. 
35  present. 

Oct.  17th — Bible  Class,  John  2:  1-16.  Preach- 
ing Service.  Spoke  v.  5.  21  present. 

Oct.  17th — Luqnillo.  Preaching  Service.  John 
1:  1-17.  Spoke  from  v.  10.  70  present.  Offer- 

ing 26c. 

Oct.  19th — Luqnillo.  Bible  Class.  Mark  16. 

56  present. 

Oct.  21st- — Luqnillo.  Prayer  and  Preaching 
Service.  Daniel  6.  Spoke  from  v.  16.  52  present. 

Oct  22nd — Prayer  Meeting.  John  6:  1-15.  50 

present. 


54 

Oct.  23d — Mameyes  Primero.  Heavy  rains — 8 
visits. 

Oct.  24th — Luquillo.  Bible  Class.  John  2 : 

16-25.  31  present. 

Oct.  24th  — Mameyes  Primero.  Communion. 
Lord's  Supper.  Administered  by  the  Rev.  John 
Edwards.  55  present. 

Oct.  24th — Luquillo.  Communion  Service,  ad- 
ministered by  Rev.  John  Edwards;  3 Baptisms — 
adults;  1 infant;  1 wedding.  (The  three  baptised 
were  admitted  as  members).  150  present.  Offer- 
ing 57c. 

Oct.  25th  — Sabana.  Bible  Class.  Preaching 
Service.  John  2:  16-25.  28  present. 

Oct.  26th — Luquillo.  Bible  Class.  Mat.  1.  45 

present. 

Oct.  28th  — Luquillo.  Prayer  Meeting  and 
Preaching  Service.  Luke,  11:  1-9.  Spoke  from 
V.  9.  57  present. 

The  next  extracts  from  letters 

A Plucky  show  us  some  of  the  lights  and 
Lady  Missionary  shades  of  a lady  missionary’s 
work  in  Porto  Rico.  This  lady 
lives  all  alone  in  a tiny  lean-to  at  the  rear  of  a 
chapel  on  Las  Cabezas,  the  rocky  northeast  corner 
of  Porto  Rico,  where  worn-down  mountains  thrust 
their  cliffs  against  the  great  Atlantic,  and  where 
a lighthouse  rears  its  head  upon  the  outmost  crag. 
By  night,  its  light  shines  far  out  to  sea  and  by  day 
the  sailor  sees  the  Stars  and  Stripes  rise  from  the 
east-most  limit  of  our  territory.  Along  either 
coast,  to  the  west  and  south,  broad  valleys  reach 


55 

down  to  the  ocean ; but  on  the  slopes  of  this  rocky 
cape  and  along  its  cliffs,  live  a pecnliar  people. 
Isolated  by  their  surroundings,  less  mixed  with 
alien  blood,  more  self-respecting  and  self-reliant, 
and  more  independent  in  thought  than  most  in 
Porto  Rico,  the  ministries  of  the  Catholic  Church 
scarcely  reached  these  communities,  and  some  of 
them,  even  before  the  coming  of  our  missionaries, 
had  become  virtually  Protestant  without  knowing 
it.  Snch  are  the  people  of  Las  Cabezas.  The 
Stars  and  Stripes  are  raised  over  Don  Benito's 
thatched  hut,  to  call  the  people  to  church  (for  want 
of  a bell  for  the  chapel)  ; and  there.  Miss  Josselyn 
is  the  spiritual  lighthouse  keeper  for  some  one 
hundred  of  simple  souls ; fisherman,  like  those  of 
Galilee,  and  shepherds  like  those  of  Judea.  Some 
of  her  experience  follows  : 

“The  day  that  I had  intended  to  make  out  the  re- 
port of  the  work  for  March,  I had  to  spend  caring 
for  Miss  McL.  Then  the  following  day  we  took 
her  in  to  the  hospital  at  Santurce,  and  I stayed  in 
Blanche  Kellogg  Institute  for  two  weeks.  That  is 
why  I am  sending  in  reports  for  two  months  at 
once. 

“I  did  not  want  to  stay  at  Blanche  Kellogg 
Institute  so  long  but  it  seemed  best  for  the  sake  of 
my  sick  companion.  Of  course  I enjoyed  the  visit 
with  the  teachers  very  much.  Since  I came  to 
h'ajardo,  two  years  ago,  I have  not  been  to  any 

^ 5}; 

“The  little  church  in  Las  Cabezas  has  been 
freshly  painted.  The  paint  was  paid  for  from  the 
church  treasury,  and  different  members  of  the 


56 

church  gave  their  services  to  do  the  painting.  Don 
Benito  Rol:)les  took  charge  of  the  work  and  did 
most  of  the  work  himself,  ^^'hat  a truly  splendid 
man  he  is.  I wish  the  world  was  full  of  such 
Christians  as  he.  * * ^ t- 

“A  week  ago  Saturday,  I was  taken  suddenly 
very  ill.  The  doctor  hardly  left  my  side  for  three 
hours,  then  the  disease  left  me  as  suddenly  as  it 
came.  The  doctor  called  it  cholera.  There  have 
been  dead  rats  under  the  house.  As  the  house  sets 
on  the  ground,  there  is  no  way  of  getting  them 
out.  As  soon  as  the  dreadful  odor  Avas  gone  from 
one  part  of  the  house,  a rat  would  die  in  some  other 
part,  and  it  was  like  that  for  two  weeks.  I think 
that  was  one  cause  of  my  illness. 

“I  wish  we  might  have  a little  parsonage  down 
on  the  church  lot,  with  rooms  for  the  mission- 
aries. Isn’t  there  some  effort  we  can  make  towards 
getting  one?” 

“I  think  you  would  have  enjoyed 
The  Satisfactions  being  at  the  Christmas  trees  in 
of  Service  T^as  Cabezas  and  La  Saldinera. 

In  Las  Cabezas  the  children  all 
came  early,  each  one  with  a new  dress  or  new  suit ; 
for,  no  matter  how  ])00r  they  are,  they  must  have 
new  clothes  for  Christmas.  They  also  had  on  stock- 
ings and  shoes.  Some  of  them  limped  and  I did  not 
wonder  wdien  they  told  me  they  had  not  worn  their 
shoes  since  a year  ago  Christmas.  You  know  how 
little  feet  will  grow  in  a year. 

“But  they  did  look  very  pretty  and  sweet  and 
clean  with  their  beautiful  faces  happy  and  expect- 
ant, for  they  knew  that  each  one  who  had  been 


57 

faithful,  and  had  six  stars  on  the  roll  of  honor,  was 
to  receive  a doll  or  hall,  and  it  was  the  first  time 
they  had  ever  had  gifts  on  the  tree,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  little  bags  of  candy  that  they  have  re- 
ceived each  year. 

“Each  one  of  the  eighty  had  his  piece  to  speak, 
or  some  part  to  take  in  the  exercises. 

“Of  course  the  room  was  packed  with  parents 
and  friends,  and  I think  that  all  went  home  happy 
and  satisfied  with  their  gifts,  and  proud  of  their 
children  who  had  recited. 

“But  the  most  important  occasion  was  the  tree 
in  La  Saldinera.  It  was  their  very  first  Christmas, 
and  the  first  time  they  had  ever  spoken  a piece. 

“They,  like  the  children  of  Las  Cabezas,  came 
clean  to  the  class,  but  their  faces  could  not  be 
called  beautiful,  although  they  were  happy  and  in- 
teresting. They  did  not  have  any  dreadful  shoes  to 
pinch  their  feet,  but  came  bare-footed  as  they  play 
on  the  beach  all  day. 

“I  hardly  knew  some  of  the  boys,  because  they 
had  had  their  hair  cut  for  the  first  time  since  my 
acquaintance  with  them. 

“After  the  exercises,  and  remarks  by  the  mis- 
sionary, Sr.  Don  Juanito  Robles,  [Dr.  Edwards 
was  unable  to  be  present]  the  candles  on  the  tree 
were  lighted,  and  the  gifts  distributed. 

“If  the  kind  people  who  sent  me  the  gifts  from 
the  States  for  these  poor  children,  could  have  seen 
the  joy  with  which  they  received  them,  and  the 
kisses  and  mother-love  bestowed  on  those  lovely 
dollies  they  would  have  been  amply  paid  for  their 
trouble. 


58 

“And,  I?  Well,  as  I went  out  and  mounted 
‘Dandy’  to  return  home,  and  rode  along  m the 
dark,  narrow  path  at  the  foot  of  the  high  rocks, 
it  seemed  as  if  the  ocean  waves  that  came  thunder- 
ing in  and  breaking  at  our  feet,  spoke  of  the  good- 
ness of  Our  Father,  and  I lifted  my  heart  in  grati- 
tude to  Him,  who  had  allowed  me  to  bring  Christ- 
mas joy  into  the  lives  of  over  one  hundred  children.” 

A little  fragment  from  the  personal 
Impressions  of  impressions  of  one  of  the  general 
a Visitor  officers  of  the  Association,  on  the 
occasion  of  a recent  visit  to  this 
same  chapel  at  Las  Cabezas,  may  close  this  study  of 
its  missionary  work  and  perchance  may  help  to 
enshrine  that  work  in  other  hearts. 

“Here,  on  this  windy  head-land,  kissed  by  Feb- 
ruary breezes,  softer  than  our  June,  we  worship- 
ped with  some  four-score  country  folks;  all  poor, 
mostly  shoeless,  but  clean,  attractive,  devout.  Af- 
ter the  visitor  had  spoken  and  before  the  Com- 
munion was  observed,  there  came  forward  a peon 
mother,  presenting  her  chubby  child  for  baptism. 
Suddenly,  as  she  came,  I found  myself  stung  with 
one  of  the  strangest  and  most  haunting  of  our  expe- 
riences— the  sense  of  familiarity  in  a stranger, — 
the  feeling  that  one  has  seen  that  face  before.  It 
took  me  unawares,  and  do  my  best,  I could  not 
shake  it  off.  Gone  was  the  calm  of  the  service, 
the  peace  of  the  hour;  and  so  I wrestled  to  dis- 
cover what  weird  trick  and  turn  of  mind  forced  me 
to  such  feeling  of  acquaintance  with  this  tropical 
mother  and  her  child.  How  long  the  search  lasted 
I do  not  know,  but  at  last  I located  her — in  one  of 


59 

Murillo’s  Aladonnas!  Rude,  obscured,  brought 
down  to  earth  and  made  of  commonest  clay,  yet 
here  before  me  was  the  very  type  that  the  Spanish 
master  painted  and  adored  across  the  seas  those 
centuries  ago,  the  self-same  oval  eyes,  the  profile, 
the  hair,  the  chubby  infant. 

“Here  on  the  Porto  Rican  cliffs,  in  the  person 
of  this  humble  woman,  one  still  glimpsed  the  glory 
which  the  artist  saw  in  the  children  of  the  Latin, — 
which  God  saw  and  sees — a divine  beauty  shining 
through  the  peasant  form,  revealing  the  unspoiled, 
hidden  possibilities  even  of  such  unpromising  frag- 
ments of  that  old  stock,  remote  on  tropical  shores. 
To  recover  the  Holy  Family  in  the  Latin-American, 
to  transfigure  motherhood  and  childhood  through 
the  spirit  of  Christ — this  is  the  business  of  missions 
in  Porto  Rico.” 


APPENDIX. 

Summary  of  Evangelistic  Work  in  Porto  Rico. 

( From  Annual  Report,  1909.) 

Fajardo  District. 

Alissiotiavies. — Dr.  and  Mrs.  John  Edwards,  Fajardo;  Jane  A. 
McEiver,  Oswego,  N.  Y.;  Grace  E.  Josselyn,  Whitman,  Mass. 

Native  Evangelists. — Juan  Robles;  Asuncion  Delgado;  Man- 
uel Paris ; Carmelo  Maldonado. 

Humacao  District. 

Missionaries.- — Rev.  and  Mrs.  Otto  J.  Scheibe,  Humacao; 
Rev.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Gray,  Humacao. 

Native  Evangelists. — Macario  Rodriguez  ; Manuel  Crespo  ; 
Adolfo  Rodriguez  ; Eduardo  Biblonia  ; Tomasita  Vazques. 


Churches. 

Ministers. 

1 Church  Members 

Additions  | 

Removals  | 

1 Baptisms 

S.  S.  Scholars 

Benevolent 

Contributions 

Raised  for 

Church  Purposes 

Fajardo 

John  Edwards... 

161 

19 

2 

29 

254 

56  84 

58  23 

I lumacao 

Otto  J.  Scheibe.. 

100 

7 

7 

37 

120 

14  89 

150  82 

Juncos 

La  Ceiba 

La  Laura 

Otto  J.  Scheibe.. 
John  Edwards... 
Otto  J.  Scheibe.. 

102 

15 

12 

1 1 

12 

I 

28 

19 

40 

20 

14  70 

3 56 

Las  Cabezas. 

John  Edwards... 

85 

II 

12 

5 

120 

32  37 

Luquillo 

Mameyes 

Primero 

John  Edwards... 

John  Edwards... 

9 

10 

... 

Naguabo 

Otto  J.  Scheibe.. 

20 

20 

26 

39 

6 00 

Yabucoa 

Otto  J.  Scheibe.. 

77 

9 

I 

15 

45 

42  00 

Totals 

,621 

91 

23 

165 

638 

71  73 

307  68 

Stated  Preaching  Stations. 

Fajardo;  Attillo,  35  ; Sardinera,  40  ; Media  Luna  ; Port  of 
Fajardo  ; El  Navanjo. 

Humacao:  Mariana,  40  ; Collores,  30;  Rio  Blanco,  60. 
JuNCOs:  Canta  Gallo,  18;  Gurabo  Arribo,  20;  Valen- 
ciano,  14. 

Naquabo  : Playa  Naguabo,  20 ; Playa  Humacao,  25. 
LaCeiba;  Daguao  ; Ouebrada  Seca  ; Mango. 

Las  Cabezas  : Boqueron. 

Luquillo  : Pitaya  ; Sabana. 

Mameyes  Primero  : Canta  Gayo. 

Yabucoa  : Mercedita,  25. 


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OFFICE  287  FOURTH  AVENUE,  NEW  YORK. 


Honorary  Secretary  and  Editor,  A.  F.  Beard,  D.D.; 
Corresponding  Secretaries,  Charles  J.  Ryder,  D.D.; 
H.  Paul  Douglass,  D.D.;  Treasurer,  Henry  W.  Hub- 
hard;  Secretary  of  Woman’s  Work,  Miss  D.  E. 
Emerson;  District  Secretaries,  Rev.  George  H.  Gut- 
terson.  Congregational  House,  Boston,  Mass.;  Rev. 
Lucius  0.  Baiid,  153  La  Salle  Street,  Chicago,  111.; 
Rev.  George  W.  Hinman,  21  Brenham  Place,  San 
Francisco,  Cal.;  Field  Representative,  Mrs.  Ida  Vose 
Woodbury,  Congregational  House,  Boston,  Mass. 


Price  of  this  Pamphlet,  15  cents ; 
in  lots  of  20  or  more,  10  cents- 


